If Mark Robins can't be appointed, Southampton FC should shift focus to 44-year-old | OneFootball

Southampton may struggle to prise Mark Robins away from Stoke City in their search for a new manager. This 44-year-old is their next obvious target.

Mark Robins is among Southampton fans' favourites to take over the vacant manager's position at St Mary's. Sadly for the South Coast club, it seems unlikely that the current Stoke City boss will be keen to swap the Potteries for the Solent any time soon.

Southampton made the decision to cut ties with Will Still after a terribly poor run of form had sent Southampton plummeting down the table to 21st, just one place above the relegation zone.

Since beating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in late September, Still's side could only amass a paltry two points from a possible fifteen. Not only were the Saints flirting dangerously close with the drop zone, but they were also missing their promotion target by some distance.

When Still began to criticise his players' confidence, nous and know-how amid the vocal disenchantment of the fans both in the stadium and on social media, Sport Republic had little option but to part ways with the multilingual coach born in Belgium.

The board have bought themselves a little time with the appointment of under-21 coach Tonda Eckert in an interim role. The young German coach will take charge of matches before the international break, giving technical director Johannes Spors a little more time to draw up a list of candidates.

Mark Robins is many Southampton fans' preferred candidate

Near the top of the wishlist is current Stoke City manager, Mark Robins. The former Manchester United and Norwich City striker has gone on to forge a very good reputation for himself in the Championship as a coach. Unable to save Coventry City from relegation to League Two in 2016/17, Robins promptly got the Sky Blues promoted back to League One at the first time of asking, albeit via the play-offs and a sixth-placed league finish.

Two seasons in League One were enough for Robins to guide Coventry back into the Championship and, after improving the squad over time, he nearly got them back to the Premier League in 2022/23. In the same season, Robins steered the Sky Blues to within touching distance of an FA Cup final.

After a slow start last season, Robins found himself out of a job with Coventry sitting 17th in the table. His sacking was a shock even to the most hardened critic.

It is unlikely that Robins will leave Stoke for Southampton. He only took charge of the Potters last season, and he's already got them up into the automatic promotion positions. The Stoke owners are not short on cash either; Robins may be well-backed in the January window.

Southampton should turn to Michael Carrick

Saints should instead shift their focus to 44-year-old Michael Carrick who, unlike Robins, is available. The former Middlesbrough boss took charge of 136 matches with an average of 1.57 points per game. Considering the investment in playing staff, Boro owner Steve Gibson might have expected Carrick to have done a little better than that.

Carrick prefers to set up his teams in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It was with this formation that he led Middlesbrough to the play-off semi-final against Robins' Coventry side in 2023. After finishing fourth, Carrick's side did the hard part by drawing 0-0 away in the first leg. Back at the Riverside in front of 32,154, Gustavo Hamer, broke Boro's hearts when he scored on the hour in a 1-0 victory.

Southampton's out of form striker, Cameron Archer, thrived under Carrick. Archer scored 11 times in Boro's run to the play-offs, on loan from Aston Villa and would no doubt relish the opportunity to play under Carrick again at St Mary's.

Another player who would link up again with the 44-year-old, if he came to St Mary's, would be the highly rated Finn Azaz. Playing in the number 10 position, just behind the striker, Azaz scored 12 times and added 11 assists. Under Will Still at Southampton, he's been played largely out of position and is low on confidence.

Carrick has secured fourth, eighth and tenth place finishes with Middlesbrough in the Championship, and it's easy to mark that down as a manager who has not achieved his potential.

That could be true, but Carrick's experience is not to be sniffed at. He is a capable manager who is worth another shot in the Championship and Southampton could offer him the chance to fulfill his potential. Carrick's playing career would earn him the respect of the senior players at Southampton and his playing style would suit the squad at his disposal. Approaching the January transfer window, the Saints have enough resources to attract the remaining players needed to make the 4-2-3-1 system work.

Some of the other managers in the frame are perhaps flights of fancy. It is unlikely that Ralph Hasenhüttl will make a return and even less likely that Lee Carsley will abandon his rather cozy job within the England national team setup.

Carrick is a better choice than all the others on the shortened list of potential managers. He comes without baggage, having done a reasonable, if not spectacular, job at Middlesbrough. He has worked with underperforming Saints players before, getting the best out of them, and his system would suit a number of other individuals.

The experience he will have gained at the Riverside would stand him in good stead to be the next Southampton manager. Johannes Spors, Southampton's technical director, should at least have Carrick on his shortlist.